Jessica's magical Christmas cake

• unsalted butter↗500g g

  softened, plus extra for the tins

• light muscovado sugar↗700g g
• eggs↗10 medium
• dark chocolate↗400g g

  melted and cooled

• vanilla extract↗1 tbsp tbsp
• plain flour↗340g g
• apricot jam↗2 tbsp smooth tbsp

  smooth

• sugar paste750g sky blue g

  sky blue, or fondant icing

• unsalted butter↗200g g

  softened

• golden caster sugar↗200g g
• eggs↗4 medium
• self-raising flour↗200g g

  sifted

• baking powder↗½ tsp tsp
• lemons↗5

  zested, 4 juiced

• raspberry jam↗1 tbsp tbsp
• food colourings↗pink and red
• unsalted butter↗100g

  softened

• golden caster sugar↗100g
• eggs↗2 medium
• self-raising flour↗100g

  sifted

• baking powder↗¼ tsp
• milk↗2 tbsp
• blueberries↗120g

  tossed in a little plain flour

• lemon curd1-2 tbsp
• food colourings↗dark and light blue
• dark chocolate↗200g

  (at least 70% cocoa solids), chopped

• double cream↗100g
• unsalted butter↗800g

  softened

• icing sugar↗1.6kg

  plus extra for dusting

• vanilla extract↗2 tbsp
• crispy rice squares2
• white sugar paste150g

  plus extra for the clouds

• coloured sugar pastesblack, green, brown, orange and other
• edible writing penblack
• edible glue
• yellow sugar paste150g

  plus extra for the stars

• edible silver balls↗

  (optional)

• chocolate-coated biscuit sticks2
• cake drums26cm, 18cm and 10cm
• cocktail sticks
• cake dowels8-10
• cloud-shaped cutters

  and star-shaped cutters in different sizes

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Heat the oven to 170 °C/150 °C fan/gas 3. To make the brownie tier, butter three 26 cm loose‑bottomed cake tins and line with baking parchment. Beat the butter, sugar and a pinch of salt for 7 minutes until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Fold in the chocolate and vanilla, then the flour. Spoon into the tins and bake for 40 minutes until the outside is slightly flaky with a brownie crust and the centre is set with no wet crumbs when a skewer is inserted. Leave to cool completely in the tins. Turn the oven up to 200 °C/180 °C fan/gas 6.

2. 2

   To make the middle tier, butter and line two 18 cm loose‑bottomed cake tins. Beat the butter, sugar and a pinch of salt for 7 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Fold in the flour, baking powder, the zest of 2 lemons and a quarter of the lemon juice. Spoon into the tins and bake for 25‑30 minutes until lightly golden and firm to the touch. Leave to cool in the tins for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

3. 3

   To make the blueberry tier, butter and line two 10 cm round cake tins. Beat the butter, sugar and a pinch of salt for 7 minutes until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Fold in the flour, baking powder, milk and blueberries. Spoon into the tins and bake for 20‑25 minutes until light golden and firm to the touch. Leave in the tins for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

4. 4

   For the ganache, put the chocolate in a heat‑proof bowl. Bring the cream to the boil over medium heat, then pour it over the chocolate, whisking continuously until melted and smooth. Leave to cool slightly.

5. 5

   To make the chocolate buttercream, beat the butter, icing sugar and vanilla for 10‑12 minutes until pale and fluffy. Put 850 g buttercream in a bowl and beat in the ganache. Spread a small blob of chocolate buttercream over the middle of the 26 cm cake drum and top with a brownie sponge. Spread the top of the sponge with 2‑3 tbsp chocolate buttercream, then sandwich with a second brownie sponge. Repeat with 2‑3 tbsp chocolate buttercream and the last sponge. Spread the rest of the chocolate buttercream over the top and sides using a palette knife. Chill for at least 1 hour.

6. 6

   Stir the remaining lemon zest and juice into the plain buttercream. Spread a small blob of lemon buttercream over the middle of the 18 cm cake drum and top with a lemon sponge. Spread the top of the sponge with 2 tbsp lemon buttercream and raspberry jam, then top with the second sponge. Spread 400 g lemon buttercream over the top and sides. Chill for 1 hour.

7. 7

   Spread a small blob of lemon buttercream over the middle of the 10 cm cake drum and top with a blueberry sponge. Spread the top of the sponge with lemon curd and 1 tbsp lemon buttercream, then top with the second sponge. Spread 200 g lemon buttercream over the top and sides. Chill for 1 hour. Dye 250 g of the remaining buttercream deep grey/blue using blue food colourings and spread this over the blueberry cake tier. Chill for 1 hour.

8. 8

   Dye any remaining buttercream deep red with pink and red food colourings. Spread this over the lemon cake tier. Chill for 1 hour.

9. 9

   Remove the brownie tier from the fridge. Warm the apricot jam in a pan to loosen, cool slightly, then brush over the top and side of the cake. Roll the sky‑blue sugar paste out on a sheet of baking parchment lightly dusted with icing sugar to 40 cm (5 mm thick). Use this to cover the brownie tier, smoothing it down the sides. Chill overnight.

10. 10

    For the decorations, start with the snowman. Roll one crispy‑rice square into a large ball. Roll two‑thirds of the second square into a medium ball, and the remainder into a small ball. Roll out the white sugar paste, cover the balls and smooth by hand. Create a hat from black and green sugar pastes. Use two cocktail sticks and mould brown sugar paste around each to make arms with twig fingers. Leave to set at room temperature for 1 hour. Draw eyes and a mouth on the smallest ball with a black pen, and make a small carrot nose from orange sugar paste. Assemble the snowman, push the arms into the sides, and attach the hat and nose with a little edible glue. Draw buttons down the middle of the snowman using the pen.

11. 11

    To stack the cake tiers, first measure about five dowels against the side of the bottom tier and three or four against the side of the middle tier. Cut the dowels to the same height as the tiers. Insert the dowels in a circle into the middle of each tier to support the tier above. Carefully stack the tiers from largest to smallest.

12. 12

    Cut small stars from different coloured sugar pastes. Roll out some white sugar paste and stamp out clouds. Stick the stars to the bottom tier in a rainbow pattern (using a little edible glue if needed) and affix the clouds to the side. Roll out yellow sugar paste and stamp out different sized stars, then stick them to the middle tier. Roll out a little green sugar paste, cut out a tree shape and create a brown tree stand from sugar paste; decorate the tree with sugar‑paste off‑cuts and edible silver balls. Roll out a little more sugar paste, cut out two small flags, wrap these around biscuit sticks, write messages on the flags with a pen and stick into the middle tier. Top the cake with the snowman, securing it into the top tier with a cocktail stick. Best eaten within a day; keeps up to five days.